New models of vehicles are thoroughly tested by manufacturers at proving grounds prior to marketing the vehicles. Indeed, vehicle models that have been marketed for some time often undergo continued testing. Such testing includes prolonged operation of test vehicles around a test track, to determine the vehicles' operational fitness. The advantages of vehicle testing in ensuring safe, satisfactory vehicles having long been recognized, vehicle testing has become a necessary and ubiquitous part of vehicle development. It can be readily appreciated, however, that using human drivers to test drive vehicles hundreds of thousands of miles is economically costly for manufacturers to use human drivers, and physically demanding on the drivers.
It happens that test time and mileage can be reduced, and test effectiveness enhanced, by driving test vehicles over rough test tracks, in addition to driving test vehicles over smoothly paved tracks. In other words, time can be saved, testing costs can be reduced, and test effectiveness can be improved by using rough tracks. Unfortunately, prolonged driving over rough tracks is extremely physically demanding on human test drivers. Indeed, a human driver's operating time over such tracks must be severely limited for the driver's protection.
As advantageously recognized by the present invention, the above-stated advantages of using vehicle testing can be realized without requiring human test drivers by providing a computer-controlled facility for testing vehicles. Thereby, test costs are significantly reduced and test driver fatigue and discomfort are eliminated.
Of importance to the present invention is the computer control system of the test facility. As recognized herein, to provide for completely automated test driving and safety, the computer control system must perform a plethora of tasks. These tasks include providing for the interactive definition of vehicle test profiles (referred to herein as "missions"), and the avoidance of mutual interference ("Ml") between vehicles. Also, vehicle operation must be monitored and displayed for facility operators. The present invention both advantageously recognizes the above-noted problems, and addresses them using the novel inventive principles discussed below.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide, in an automated durability road facility, a computer control system for automatically controlling the operation of the vehicles to be tested. Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer control system for an automated test facility that avoids mutual interference between vehicles during testing. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a computer control system for an automated test facility that provides for displaying and updating vehicle status. Still another object of the present invention is to provide an automated durability road facility that is easy to use and cost-effective.